Aeroplane



Oct. 28 1924.q

' 1,512,912 I. H. DRIGGS AEROPLANE Filed Oct. 6. 1921 9 Sheets-Sheet 2@W Miha,

Oct. 28, 1924. y

l. H. DRIGGESl AEROPLANE Filed oct. 6. 1921 9 sheets-sheet l. H. DRIGGS'Oct. 28 1924.

AEROPLANE Filed Oct. 6. 1921 9 Sheets-Sheet 4.

W4 rE e L/NE l. H. DRIGGs AEROPLANE Filed Oct. 6. 1921 9 Sheets-Sheet 5l. H. DRIGGS @to 28l 1924.

AEROPLANB Filed Oct. 6. 1921 9 Sheets-Sheet G l. H. DRIGGS 9Sheets-Sheet 7 Oa, 25 v1924.

AEROPLANE 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 Filed oct. e. la)

/AN l 4 KO l/s- Patented Oct. 28, 1924.

UNITED "STATES IVAN H. Dames,

OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO DAYTON-WRIGHT COMPANY, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ACORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

11,512,912 FICE. g

Annemans'.

Application led October 6, 1921. Serial No. 505,799.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I', IVAN citizen of the United States of America,residin at Dayton, county of Montgomery, and tate of Ohio, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Aeroplanes (docket #26), of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in airplanes and has as a'general object the design of a plane which is capable of landlng eitheron the water or land. Such planes 1n fully extended position.

are especially desirable'for use in the Navy since they can be carriedout to sea on shipboard and at any desired time can take-off from theship or land safely thereon. Also they can land safely on the water atany time and hence are free from the dangers of forced landings whichare always present `when land planes areiown from a ship, or whenconditions are such that a landing cannot be made on shipboard. y

Among the objects of this invention is the provision of a retractilelanding gear whichf can be drawn up, during iiight or when landing onwater, within an aerofoil-shaped housing. Thus the air resistance offthe landing wheels is elimina-ted while the aerofoil-'shaped housinggives considerable lift 30 thereby permitting la reduction in the wingarea. Y Another object of this invention isto provide a novel, simple,and efiicient design of Wing bracing.

Further objects and advantages of the resent invention will be apparentfrom the ollowing description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein a preferred form of embodiment of the pres 40 entinvention is clearly shown.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a doable pontoonhydroplane with the landing wheels in extended position.

l Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the of Fig. 1.

' Fig. 3 is a plan view.

Fig. 4 is a detail Viewon an enlarged scale showing the mechanism forretraoting the wheels, parts -of the fuselage and pontoon being shown indotted lines.

Fig. 5 is a composite view showing the retracting mechanism, the lefthand slde showing a Wheel in its retracted position within the aerofoilhousing, while the right H. DRIGGs, a

machine hand side shows a wheel in its Jr'ully extended position. i

Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 illustrate a modification wherein the landinggear is applied to a single pontoon hydroplane, Fig. 6, bemg a frontelevation of the machine. F 7 is a side elevation of the machine. Flg. 8is a detail vievcr on-an enlarged scale showing a side elevation of theretracting mechanism.

Fig. 9 is a .front elevation of the left halfv of theretracting'meehanism with the wheel Fig. 10 is a front elevation .of theright side of the retracting mechanism with the wheel in its retractedposition.

In the drawings similar reference charac.- ters refer to similar 'partsthroughout the several views.

Numeral 11 represents the main. body'y or fuselage of the hydroplane ofFigs. l, 2, 3, 4 and 5; 12 is the engine, 13 the propeller, 14 therudder, 15 the elevators, 16 the vertical fin, and 17 the horizontalstabilizer.

These parts form no part of the invention of 'this application and henceare not ,de scribed in detaill herein.

This invention however does embrace the novel" method of trussingthewingsof the triplane shown inFigs. 1, 2 and 3, which will now bedescribed.

The upper plane 20 ofthe triplane is formed of the two panels 23 and 24hinged on the center section 29, while the intermediate plane 21 issimilarly formed of the two wing panels 25 and 26 and the center section30.' The lower plane 22 is formed of gabe two wings27 and 28 hinged tothe `fuseage.

The win trussing comprises the diago-r nal strut. extending from therear outer strut point 31 of the upper wing to the point 32 on the bodyback of the motor. The cen- -ter line of this strut A passes through thecenter line of 'the front spar ofthe intermediate plane andA is cutthere and ypin. jointed to the spar v,on the top at 33 and on the bottomat 34.- }(See Figs. 1 and 3.) Another diagonal'` strutfB- extends from.the front outer strut point 35 of the upper wing to the lower windfront spar attachment at the body.v (gee Figs. 21and 3.) 4 'I`his*i'strut B lies entirely in the #plane lof the front wing spars 4and henceits centerline Apasses throughk the intermediate vwing spar at the samepoint as strut A does. Strutv B is likewise cut at the intermediateplane and pin jointed to the spar at fthe points 37 and 38 in a mannersimilar to strut A. The Wing trussing is completed by the N struts 40,4l, 42, and 43 at the wing ends and the N struts 44, 45, 46, and 47 atthe center section. Preferably the center section is braced between thetop and intermediate wings by the diagonal braces 48 at both the frontand real` struts and between the 1ntermediate wing and -fuselage by thecross wires 49. The N struts are all pin jointed throughout as well asthe diagonal struts A and B, Preferably these struts are all made fromsteel tubes with stream line faring attached thereto, but of cou'rseother material may be used if desired provided such material is suitablefor tension as well as compressive stresses.v

ln Flight it will be seen that the two hft struts A" and B act togetherto takelthe lift, the major portion of'the lift falling upon one or theotherdependent upon the position of the center of pressure. In Fig. 2 ofthe drawings R2 represents roughly the direction of theresultant windpressure at high angles of incidence, while R1 represents the resultantpressure at low angles of incidence and high speeds. It is thus seenthat for all dying angles of incidence the direction of the resultantairpressure falls Within, or even in extreme cases nearly within, theangle made by thestruts A and B (as seen from Fig. 2) and hence thesestruts brace each other in taking care of the drift forces, that is, thedrift components in the two struts A and B oppose each other indirection andl hence partially or entirely cancel one another'.

A further advantage of this arrangement lies in the fact that at lowangles of inci-.

dence the resultant R, is displaced along the wing chord .nearer strut Awhile at' high angles ofincidence `the resultant R2 lies-nearer strut B(as shown iu Fig. 2). Thus it is seen that the strut carrying thegreatest load at any given time will be more nearly under direct.tension, whichfact, of course, also reduces the forces carried .by theother brace members.

The retractile landing gear will now be described. The two pontoons 50and 51 are rigidly braced to the body of the machine by means of struts52, 53, 54 and the cross bracing represented generally by referencen-umber 55. The landing'wheelsO, 61 are supported onrigid triangularframes composed of members 62, 63 and 64. The vertical members 62 and 63of this rigid frame are slotted immediately under the cross member 64 asshown at 65 and 66 respectively, and the entire frame and wheel issupported by the stationary tube 67 rigidly attached to the fittings 68and 69 at the base of struts well 52 and 53 respectively. This tube 67extends through the slots and 66 and is bound to the triangular framemember 64 by elastic hock absorber cord 74, as clearly shown in rTheinner end of the wheel axle is pinned to the link 70, the other end ofthe link being pinned to the nut 7l, which may travel along the longscrew 72. The upward force on link 70 due to landing is taken chieiy bya V bracing composed of two struts which extend from the fuselage andare rigidly attached at the point of the V.` The nut 71 vhas anextension guide 73 (see Fig. 4) which rides on the strut 75 and to whichthe link 70 is pinned, so that link 7 0 will be in alignment with strut75 at all times to enable the landing forces to be better transmitted tothe V bracing. This construction permits the use of a very small andlight screw 72.

The two screws72 are operated by bevel gears which may, if desired, beenclosed in a gear box 81 and be packed with grease to ensure smoothoperation ot' the mechanism. The cross shaft 82 may be operated by anydesirable means. Preferably it is operated by means of a small handcrank 83 conveniently located with reference to the pilots seat and themotionV transmitted to thev shaft 82 by means of a friction belt 01chain 84 running over pulleys or sprockets 85 and 86. The speed ofraising or lowering the landing wheels may be easily fixed at anydesired rate by the gear ratio of pulleys or sprockets 85 and 86.

lAn aerofoil housing is constructed between thel two pontoons so thatthe wheels fit snugly within same when in raised position as clearlyshown in the left side of Fig. 5. This housing may be of any suitableaerofoil section, such as U. S. T. S. No. 9,

which while offering some drag gives considerable llft and therebyallows a reduction 'of wing area. The housing is so positioned withrelation to the pontoons, that, when the airplane is on the water, it isentirely above the `water line, as shown in Fig. 4.

The V struts 75 and the screwsl 72 are preferably enclosed by a streamline housing 88 as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. It is thus seen that no partsof the mechanism is immersed when on thewater and the screws 72 areprotected from the 4spray by the houslng 8 l The modification shown inFigs. 6 to l0 inclusive will now be described. These figures show anadaptation of the combination landing gear to a hydroplane of the singlepontoon type.

ment of struts desired and since the particular manner iu which it isbraced forms no part of thls invention it will vnot be described indetail. The Wheel landing gear and the fuselage.

frame comprises the upwardly inclined struts 102 and 103 and thehorizontal member 104 braced by the cross wires 105, and the transverse.members 106 and-107 (see -Figs. 8.and 9). These members are allpinjointed as usual and the upright struts 102, 103 are preferabl streamlined as shown in Fig. 8. The w eels 110 and 111 are carried on an axlesupported by strut members 113 and 114 which are held rigid relative toeach other by the fitting 112, and

which are pivoted upon the cross member 104 at the points 115, 116 (seeFig. 8). Thus it is seen that the wheel with its supporting frame mayberevolved about the center line of member 104 (see Figs. 9 and I10). Theinner ends of the wheel axles are pivoted to links whose opposite endsare pivoted on opposite sides of the nut 121 which travels on thecentral vertical screw 122. The nut 121 has an extension guide 123 whichrides up and down on'the vertical member 124 rigidly fastened betweenthe pontoon Preferably this uprightmember 124 is a steel tube and alsoconstitutes one of the struts for sipporting the fuselage upon thepontoon. i ince the side thrust on links 120 will be equal and oppositethere will be no side thrust on the strut 124. Since the plane of thestruts 113 and 114 is approximately vertical and close up to the planeof the Wheel when` the Wheels are in landing position (see Fig. 9),there will be little if any upward force on the nut 121 and hence thescrew 122 may be quite small and light. The screw 122 may be operated bya hand crank aspreviously described in the case-of the double pontoonarrangement.

The aerofoil housing 125 preferably is supported upon the transversemembers 106 and 107 since these are in position to aptlyv lendthemselves to such construction as seen from Fig. 8. i

rlhe shock absorbers used on the design shown are placed within the(lished wheels as shown at (Fig. 7). 'Gf course, the ordinary wheels andelastic cord shock absorbers could be used if desired, but in this eventit would be desirable to bend the struts 113, 114kk so that pivots 115,116 would 'lie vertically above the center line of the wheel and thus`eliminate all upward force on links 120.

While the orm of mechanism herein shown and described, constitutes apreferred form of embodiment of the present invention, it is yfto beunderstood that other forms lmight be adopted, all coming within thescope of the claims which follow.

What I claim is as follows:

1. An airplane having a rigid non-retractable landing chassis framelocated centrally thereof, a landing pontoon rigidly attached to saidframe for landing on water,

Wheel supports pivotally mounted upon said frame independently of saidpontoon and spaced therefrom, landing wheels mounted upon said supportsand extendable below said pontoon for landingl on land, and means forraising said wheels and wheel supports toward the non-retractable frameto a position above the water line on the pontoon;

v2. An airplane having a rigid non-retractable landing chassis framelocated centrally thereof, a landing pantoon rigidly attached to saidframe for landing on water, wheel supports pivotally mounted upon saidframe independently of said pontoon and .spaced therefrom and pivotedabout a fore and aft axis, landing wheels mounted upon said supportsandextendable below said pontoon for landing on land, and means forrevolving said wheel supports laterally about said fore and aft axistoraise said wheels and supports above the water line on the pontoon. i

3. An amphibian airplane having a nonretractable landing chassis frame,a non retractable landing pontoon rigidly mounted upon said frame forlanding on water, retractable landing wheels retractably mounted uponsaid chassis frame at points independentof and distant from saidpontoon, whereby said wheels may be extended below said pontoon forlanding on land or withdrawn toward said chassis frame to a pointabovethe water line on said pontoon.

4. An amphibian airplane having a nonretractable landing chassis frame,a nonretractable landing pontoon rigidly mounted upon said frame forlanding on water, retractable landing wheels retractably mounted uponsaid chassis 'frame at points e independent of and distant from saidpontoon, whereby said wheels may be extended below said pontoon forlanding -on land or withdrawn toward said chassis Vframe to a pointabove the water line on said pontoon, and an auxiliary lifting aerofoilrigidly mounted upon said chassis frame and adapted to house said wheelswhen in retracted position.

5. An airplane having lioat means spaced an appreciable distance belowthe lower` wings thereof for landing on water, and in addition theretoretractile means for landing on land, and an auxiliary lifting aerofoilpositioned above the water line on said float means and adapted to housethe retractile means when inretracted position, where by the total dragis decreased and the left in-y creased.

6. An airplane having iioat means for landing on water, and in additionthereto retraotile means for landing on land, and an auxiliary liftingaerofoi-l positioned above the water line onvthe float means and adaptedto house the retraotile means when in reframe, landing wheels mountedupon saidr tracted position, whereby the total drag is decreased and thelift increased.

7. y In an airplane havinga pontoon spaced an appreciable distance belowthe lower wingsthereof for landing on water, in combination, retractablewheels for landing on a solid surface, said wheels being located onopposite sides of the pontoon, a non-retractable chassis frame' forIsupporting said wheels, and means for raising said wheels above thewater line by rotating them side- Wise inwardly toward the pontoon.

8. In an airplane having a landing pontoon spaced an appreciabledistance below the lower wings thereof, a landing chassis for makingground landlngs comprising, a

rigid non-retractable chassis frame, wheel axles pivota-lly supportedupon said rigid frame, landing wheels mounted upon said axles, and meansfor moving said wheels upwardly and inwardlytoward each other .byrotating said axles about their` pivotal supports.

9. In an airplane having a landing float, a landing chassis for makingground landings, comprising a rigid chassis frame, wheel axles pivotallysupported upon said rigid axles, Aand means for moving said wheelsupwardly and inwardly toward each other by rotating said axles abouttheir pivotal supports, said means including a rotatable screw having anut travelling thereon and a link pivoted to said nut and to said wheelaxle.

10. Retractable landing gear for airplanes Iincluding a non-retractablechassis frame extending an appreciable distance below the body portionof the airplane, two retractable wheel supports having fixed pivots onsaid chassis fra-me, and means for retracting said wheel supports towardsaid non-retractable chassis frame by rotating same about their 4 12. Inan airplane having a non-retractable chassis frame 1n combmation, aretractable wheel support pivotally mounted upon said frame, and arotatable screw having a travelling nut thereon, a strut having pivotalconnection to said nut and wheel support at its opposite ends, and meansfor 'rotating said screw to retract said wheel support.

13. In an airplane having a retractable wheel and wheel support, amovable bracey strut attached to said support at one end, a stationaryguide member to which the other end of said brace strut is slidablyattached,

a rotatable screw extendingl substantially' parallel with and adjacentto said guide .member and having a travelling nut thereon,

connecting means between said nut and thc sliding end of said bracestrut, and means for rotating said screw to cause said nut to move saidbrace strut and thereby retract the wheel and support.

In testimony whereof I thereto aiix my signature.

IVAN II. DRIGGS. Witnesses: L. H. EMRICK,

R. K. LEE.

